Two arrested for distributing K2 in Newark

NEWARK — Two men were arrested Saturday for distributing K2 in the area where 40 people had a bad reaction to the drug.

Kevin L. McKenzie, 31, and Quadeer A. Nelson, 37, both of Newark,were arrested after being found with 11 small plastic bags of the synthetic marijuana near Newark Penn Station, according to Newark Police.

McKenzie was found with seven small bags and a package of "Black Giant" synthetic marijuana while Nelson was found with four small bags, one package of "Extreme Packet"  and five empty packages of synthetic marijuana.

Police said they are still looking for the source of the K2 that made 12 people sick on Thursday night on New Jersey Railroad Avenue, a number that grew to 40 by Friday. It is not clear to police if McKenzie or Nelson sold the product, which can cause hallucinations, vomiting, seizures and psychosis.

Most of those affected were from the homeless population, police said, and no fatalities have been reported.

The use and sale of K2 has been illegal in New Jersey since 2012.

Police asked anyone with information about the most recent K2 incident to call the Department’s 24-hour Crime Stopper tip line at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477).

Anyone who taken K2 and had a bad reaction should call 911 immediately or NJ Poison Control at 800-222-1222.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

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